Han River Bus Cumulative Ridership Passes 300,727 After Full-Route Restart

The Han River Bus has passed a major cumulative ridership marker, reaching 300,727 passengers from its official launch in September 2025 through May 19, 2026. The clearest shift came after full-route service resumed on March 1, 2026, with 196,229 passengers recorded between that date and May 19, 2026. ¹

For readers trying to understand what this means in practical terms, the key point is simple: usage has been rising most visibly since all sections returned to operation. The service is no longer being discussed only as a new river transport option, but also as a leisure-oriented way to move along the Han River, especially during weekends and holiday periods.

Cumulative Han River Bus Ridership: What Changed After March 1

The official cumulative figure of 300,727 passengers is measured from the Han River Bus’s formal start of operations in September 2025 through May 19, 2026. Seoul Metropolitan Government reported that 196,229 of those riders used the service after full-route operations resumed on March 1, 2026. ¹

That means a large share of the total ridership came after the service returned across all sections. Yonhap News reported the same 300,727 cumulative figure and noted the operational context: after a grounding-related incident in November 2025, the service ran only on some sections before full-route operations resumed in March 2026. ²

For people following whether the Han River Bus is becoming a stable transport option, the post-March numbers matter more than the launch headline alone. They show demand after the service returned to a broader operating pattern, not just curiosity during an initial opening period.

Seoul’s future Han River division head Park Jin-young described the service as becoming established as a new waterborne transport option amid steady public use after the full-route restart. ¹ That statement is notable because it frames the current ridership trend as a service adoption issue, not just a one-time promotional spike.

How the Ridership Built Up: March, April, and the May Holiday Period

The increase did not appear all at once. Seoul reported that March 2026 ridership reached 62,491 passengers, setting a monthly high at that point. That was 16,539 more than the previous monthly high of 45,952 passengers recorded in November 2025. March also showed a daily average of 2,016 passengers, with 29,486 weekday riders and 33,005 weekend riders. ³

Those March numbers are useful for planning because they show weekend use already slightly ahead of weekday use. The pattern became clearer in April. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported, based on Seoul city data, that ridership exceeded 70,000 from April 1 to April 27, 2026, marking the highest monthly level since operations began. Over the two days of April 25 and 26, 10,247 passengers used the service, with 5,035 on Saturday and 5,212 on Sunday. ⁴

The practical takeaway is that demand appears strongest when the Han River Bus works as part of a day out rather than only as a commute. The April report specifically pointed to weekend Han River outing demand as a driver of the increase. ⁴ If that pattern continues, readers interested in taking the service should expect busier conditions around weekends and holiday windows than on ordinary weekdays.

The Children’s Day holiday period added another clear example. From May 1 to May 5, 2026, the Han River Bus recorded 23,443 passengers, or about 4,689 passengers per day. That daily average was 84% higher than the April daily average of about 2,550 passengers. ⁵

By May 5, 2026, cumulative ridership since the full-route restart had reached 162,422, while total cumulative ridership since official operations began had reached 267,357. ⁵ Two weeks later, by May 19, the total had moved past 300,000. ¹

This sequence gives readers a useful way to read the numbers: March showed the restart effect, April showed strong weekend leisure demand, and the May holiday period showed that public holidays can sharply lift daily averages.

What Riders Should Watch Next

The biggest operational item to watch is Seoul Forest Pier. Seoul Metropolitan Government said the Seoul Forest dock is scheduled to open in June 2026 after additional training for safe operations. ¹ Yonhap News reported that the opening had originally been planned for May 20, 2026, but was adjusted to June because of structural differences and the need to adapt to a new route. ²

For potential riders, that means the available route environment is still developing. The ridership milestone is already based on the service through May 19, but Seoul Forest Pier had not yet opened in the cited reports. Anyone planning a route that depends on Seoul Forest should check the June opening status through official Seoul city channels before making firm plans.

Satisfaction data also supports the current interest level. Newsis reported that, after full-route service resumed, 96% of 3,115 surveyed users aged 18 or older said they were satisfied. The same report stated that the Han River Bus surpassed 100,000 passengers 47 days after the March 1 full-route restart and had also passed 200,000 total cumulative passengers since its September 2025 official launch. ⁶

For readers deciding when to ride, the available facts point to two practical suggestions. First, weekend and holiday use has been strong, so those periods may feel busier. Second, the service’s route picture may change once Seoul Forest Pier opens, so itinerary planning should account for that pending addition.

작성자 소개

Patrick Choi

Administrator

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